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So, in a week, I will finally be reunited with my boyhood pals, my good old Technics SB-A28's. If they actually arrive intact that is. Naturally, they are made of yellow particle board. with that fake plastic stuff attached to the top of them. Here's a pic of someone elses set: http://www.tribemagazine.com/board/buy-sell-rent/137943-technics-speakers-model-sb-a28.html Any opinions on how this affects the sound quality? They already have a cloth-like textile staple gunned to the inside of them (at the factory) so that is already done. Do they lose some tonality and (articifical) colour being made this way? does partical board offer a more "accurate" (as in: doesn't alter the sound) material? Any opinions are appreciated.
To tell the truth, I've always liked the acoustics of MDF, and even some particle board or chip board products. Sure, there are some kinds of particle board that aren't good, for some of the same reasons that cheap plywood can be a problem - the potential to develop cracks or voids (with internal debris) that buzz when vibrated. But chip board that is bonded and compressed well is pretty good stuff, acoustically, because like MDF, it is characteristically non-resonant. It's a relatively homogenous collection of various fibers bonded together with glue. As for the grilles, I prefer not to use them but I admit they can provide some protection and can even be attractive. I like the looks of raw drivers, but not everyone else does. However, there's no getting around the fact that the grille is not acoustically transparent, so it creates a self-reflection and this usually makes response anomalies. I wouldn't mind slight attenuation, but the x/4λ notches aren't good. Depending on the grille's acoustic resistance and its distance from the tweeter, response problems can range from mild to severe. Still, if the grilles are removable, you can decide when they're important to have on and when you'd rather take them off.
Thanks Wayne. I always thought they kind of lacked a sound, outside of the normal acoustics of a box. This works in my favor, so it's good to see that upgrading to alder or maple or something isn't going to do what I intend. If it has to have a sound, i'd prefer normal guitarwood, but this works out better without one. I've had the grilles both on and off. Mostly off though. I think the technics line was pretty well made so not a lot of the huge problems from the past were integrated into the early 90's loudspeakers. It was basically the last great run of loudspeakers as a mainstream commercial entity.